Regular reviews of policies, procedures and practices:
- ensures they are adequate, up-to-date and effective
- helps maintain the best approach to child safety and wellbeing
- ensures schools are familiar with child safety requirements
- minimises the risk of harm to children.
Schools must review their child safety and wellbeing policies:
- after any significant child safety incident
- at least once every 2 years.
What a significant child safety incident is
A “significant child safety incident” includes incidents involving:
- an adult engaged by a government school engaging in:
- child sexual abuse
- grooming
- physical violence
- significant emotional or psychological harm
- significant neglect.
This also includes any child who is not a student at the school.
- Student-to-student abuse, including harmful sexual behaviour, that occurs in the school environment. This includes excursions and camps.
If you are unsure if a particular incident is a significant child safety incident, contact school.compliance@education.vic.gov.au.
What to review at least every 2 years
Schools must review all child safety policies and practices at least every 2 years. Schools must review and consider their:
- Child Safety and Wellbeing policy
- Child Safety Code of Conduct
- Child Safety Risk Register
- Complaints Policy
- Procedure for responding to complaints and concerns relating to child abuse
- Recordkeeping and information management protocols
- Policies and practices on accessibility, cultural safety, diversity and inclusion
- Recruitment policies and practices for staff and volunteers
- Induction programs for staff and volunteers
- Annual child safety training for staff and volunteers
- Communication to students, families and the community about child safety
- How the school is embedding child safety and rights in the curriculum.
What to consider
Consider the following questions when reviewing child safety policies and practices:
- What has changed since the school last reviewed child safety?
- Can the school adapt its environment to better support child safety?
- Do the current child safety policies and procedures address the requirements of the Child Safe Standards Action List?
- What child safety practices are being done well?
- What is the root cause of a complaint or incident?
- What can the school learn from incidents, concerns and complaints?
- How can the school address gaps?
- Are child safety policies understood and implemented by staff and volunteers as intended?
- Is the school community involved in the school’s approach to child safety and wellbeing?
- Who is responsible for actions to improve child safety?
- Who is responsible for addressing and managing for child safety incidents?
What to review after a child safety incident
Schools must address child safety risks after a significant child safety incident.
Schools must:
- reflect on the incident and whether a similar incident may occur
- review existing practices and their effectiveness
- consider if existing practices (or lack of practices) contribute to child safety risks
- identify strategies that could reduce the risk of a similar incident occurring again.
Post incident review support and resources
The Child Safety Post-Incident Review and Action Plan can help schools conduct a post-incident review.
Schools can use this template to:
- consider risks that contributed to a significant child safety incident
- list actions to prevent a similar incident in the future
- use the prompting questions to help discussions and identify common themes.
The Child Safety Post-Incident Review and Action Plan has been developed for government schools. Non-government schools can adapt it to suit their needs.
The Child Safety Issues Log and Action Plan can help schools record child safety issues and risks and actions to address them. Schools can use this to review their child safety policies and procedures every 2 years. It can also be used to complete annual Child Safety Risk Register review.
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